The Origin of the Name "Byzantine Empire"

The Eastern Roman Empire, known by the name Byzantine Empire, is frequently mentioned in historical accounts of the founding period of the Ottoman Empire, and before that, in the intense conflicts between the Seljuk Empire and the Turks. But is it actually referred to by its correct name?

Looking at historical sources, the people who lived during the Byzantine period did not call themselves Byzantines and did not use the name Byzantine Empire. So where did the name Byzantine come from?

The word Byzantine emerged in the 16th century after the publication of German art historian and philologist Hieronymus Wolf's work titled "Corpus Historiae Byzantinæ" (1648). It is a name of Western origin. Following Wolf, a book titled "Historia Byzantina" (1680) signed by Du Cange was published in Western Europe and France. After these works, the name Byzantine became established in Western languages, and from that time onward—that is, after the 16th century—the name Byzantine was used in Western Europe and later entered our language. The people of the Eastern Roman Empire never at any time identified themselves with the name Byzantine. They called themselves Romania, meaning Romans.

As for where the name Byzantine came from, it is thought to have emerged likely from Istanbul being indicated as their first settlement.

Around 667 BCE, due to population growth in the Greece region, the Dorians left the area to find new lands and settled in what is now the Yenikapı area of Istanbul under the leadership of King Byrzas, whom they had chosen as their leader. Some historical sources about King Byrzas say that he consulted an oracle of Apollo to save his people from population growth in Greece, and upon this oracle's recommendation, he came to the shores of the Bosphorus and founded the city. Although the Byzantine legend began this way, the region's fate would later be shaped by the famous Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine came to this settlement—formerly a fishermen's harbor, that is, Istanbul—in 330 CE. He conquered all the lands up to Iznik. Later, he made Istanbul the capital of the Roman Empire.

After Constantine died in 337, the people named Istanbul Constantinopolis in memory of their king. Later, the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern and Western Rome by Theodosius I in 395. The emperor divided the Eastern territories to one son and the Western territories to another son. The Western territories diminished in the following years, leaving only the Eastern Roman Empire.

The state that ended the Eastern Roman Empire, historically named Byzantine, was the Ottoman Empire. As is known, with the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Eastern Roman Empire passed into history.

After the Roman Empire was ended by the Ottomans, a struggle over the name Rome began in Europe. Various legends were produced, and so-called marriages were arranged to try to continue the designations as the Second Roman Empire. The name Moscow was deliberately mentioned and attempts were made to have it accepted as the Third Roman Empire. In other words, even though the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome) passed into history, attempts were made to write history as "the Third Roman Empire continued in Moscow." Today, most Russian historians do not accept this view and state that it is forced and fabricated. However, especially during Stalin's era, a group led by Tolstoy's son tried to designate Russia and Moscow as the Third Roman Empire.

Even earlier, after the Eastern Roman Empire was destroyed by the Turks, attempts were made to claim the Roman heritage, and competition over the Roman name and legacy began in Europe. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V deemed the title of Roman Emperor appropriate for himself and said he was continuing the Roman Empire. Historians suggest that the introduction of the Byzantine name also stemmed from this. Because by being called Byzantine, it was attempted to establish that the Roman Empire had not actually ended. The reason Western historians invented the Byzantine name was actually to diminish the imperial status, particularly by the Germans, and to disqualify the Eastern Roman Empire in order to establish the idea that the Western world, together with Charles V, was the true heir of the ancient Roman Empire.

Debates about whether the Roman Empire continued, whether Moscow is the new Roman Empire, or whether the Ottoman Empire is the Third Roman Empire continue even today. However, if we look generally, the historical reality is that the Byzantine name was not used in that period. The Byzantine name is a fabricated name given by Western writers and historians after the Eastern Roman Empire was destroyed. Western historians deliberately gave the Eastern Roman Empire the name Byzantine for political reasons and began to use it this way. In other words, perhaps the most important purpose in using the Byzantine name was to create the perception that the Turks did not destroy the Roman Empire, one of the world's most important empires, but rather ended the existence of a country called Byzantium. Thus, it would be said that the Roman Empire continued and did not end. Even today, the European Union is compared to the last Roman Empire. Against all these new namings, the historical truth is this: the mighty sultan of the Ottoman State, Mehmed the Conqueror, ended the Roman Empire, one of the greatest empires that changed world history.

However, the Byzantine name later became established in our language and history books. Nevertheless, it would be more appropriate to use Eastern Roman Empire instead of Byzantine. In any case, the Byzantine name was definitely not used in that period of our history. Byzantium, or the Eastern Roman Empire, was constantly referred to as the Roman Empire. After Mehmed the Conqueror conquered Istanbul, he deemed himself worthy of the title Kayser-i Rum, meaning the continuation of the Roman Empire, and used it, thus announcing to the world that he had destroyed the Roman Empire and become the new Roman Emperor.

To summarize the topic: the Byzantine name was not used during the Ottoman period; instead of Byzantine, the Roman Empire was mentioned. Moreover, the name "Rum" does not come from a racial word root denoting the Greek race. Starting from the Seljuk period, the name of the Anatolia and Rumelia region came from the name Rome. With the change in the pronunciation of the name Rome, the name Rum (Rum-i) was used for the people living in the Roman Empire and became established in our language. In other words, the word Rum has long been a name coming from the word Rome-Roman, not denoting the Greek race. Furthermore, some scholars who grew up during the Ottoman period, such as Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, took the name Rumi because they were in the designated lands.